


Trouble at Home

by KateJRose



Category: Mr. Selfridge (TV)
Genre: Drama, Family, Illnesses, Love, Scandal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-22
Updated: 2014-05-22
Packaged: 2018-01-26 03:17:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1672709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KateJRose/pseuds/KateJRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s been a week since Mr Selfridge left for Berlin and with the recent Procurement Committee scandal dragging Harry into disrepute, Rose, Gordon and the store are struggling to cope.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Outburst

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work of fiction inspired by the ITV series Mr Selfridge.  
> I do not own the characters nor the story.
> 
> A twist on the Procurement Committee Scandal which begins with Harry's departure for Berlin.  
> Set during Series 2 Episode 7

‘Are you okay Mrs Selfridge?’ offered Mr Crabb in response to her prior outburst. ‘Would you like me to open a window, or a glass of water?’ he added before Rose could regain some sort of composure. ‘No thank you Mr Crabb’, ‘I’m fine’ she reassured, not wholly delivering the latter statement with as much conviction as was needed to reassure the dumbfounded Mr Grove and Mr Crabb standing before her.

Later that evening she had returned from the store with Gordon not feeling herself, she had been struggling to sleep in Harry’s absence. Trying albeit unsuccessfully to sleep for the third night that week she found herself in the inner courtyard in the early hours of the morning. She didn’t know why but she felt utterly lost without Harry, the extent of her dismay was surprising when put into the context of their long preceding estrangement, but she loved him, deep down, she truly did. At that moment, in that courtyard, despite Harry’s long string of affairs and scandals Rosalie Selfridge had never felt more vulnerable and fragile without him.


	2. Signs

The next day Rose went to the store with Gordon. It was becoming habitual after almost a week of no contact from Harry for her to assume a seat at his desk each morning and let her mind wonder (in the periods where she wasn’t being hounded by either Mr Grove, Mr Crabb or other distressed members of the staff) to Harry. However, this only increased her despair and so she tried to occupy herself with other trivial tasks such as rearranging the flowers on the table in front of her portrait that dominated the back wall of her husband’s office. She stood up to perform this menial task, but on rising too quickly, she lost her balance and was forced to grip onto the edge of the mahogany desk to steady herself. She nonchalantly shook off this episode and continued to the other side of the room without a second thought to her sudden vertigo.

By lunchtime and only after a meeting with the concerned heads of staff was she overcome by tiredness which was unsurprising given her recent bout of insomnia (or so she thought). With this she decided to call the car and return to the house leaving instructions for Gordon to be home for dinner. 

After another empty silence, one of many that had occupied the mealtimes between Rose and her son since Harry had left, there was a knock at the door.


	3. Tainted Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry returns...

Rose rushed into the hall to the familiar sound of her (less cheery than normal) husband. 

The moment she caught sight of him she was filled with relief, so much so that on reaching him she broke down in his embrace. Her sobs muffled in the shoulder of his jacket shocked her husband deeply which added to the observation he had made of his wife in the midst of the commotion as to how tired and fragile she looked made him incapable of hiding his worry. He felt such remorse for leaving her as he did. He shrugged off these thoughts and proceeded to comfort her. ‘Rose?’ he inquired, ‘Rose what’s wrong’ it took this long for her to realise what she was doing. She lifted her face from his shoulder and replied ‘nothing, I...I just missed you, where were you?’ ‘Rose I am so sorry I was completely tied up with… let’s sit down.’ They walked arm in arm to the drawing room at which point Gordon entered and embraced his father with a look of utter shock on his face. 

After about an hour of Harry recalling every last detail of his trip to ‘Paris’ he noticed Rose’s detachment from the conversation. ‘Rose, are you okay?’ he asked worriedly lifting his hand to cup her cheek. ‘Yes, I’m just very tired, I’m sorry so you mind if I....’, ‘No of course, I’ll be up in a minute’ She kissed him goodnight and made for the door but as she reached the doorframe she was overcome with vertigo and a wave of heat washed over her covering every surface of her body. She tried to grip the door but within seconds she fell and slumped with her head against the wood.


	4. You gave me a shock

As if in slow motion Harry cried her name and launched himself at the door to catch her arm to support her weight before she hit the floor, however his efforts only slowed this process. Harry then scooped Rose in his arms and started for the stairs while shouting to Gordon to call a doctor.

The next few hours were torment to Harry as he paced across the landing outside their bedroom as a doctor examined her. Finally the doctor who had previously treated Harry after his automobile accident emerged from the room. He explained that he believed Rose was suffering from exhaustion and needed all the rest she could get. He had explained he would return the following day to check on her but was not overly worried by her fainting episode and was optimistic she would soon recover.

Harry entered the room but felt it best not to disturb his sleeping wife. He settled for the chair in the corner and the next thing he knew he was awoken by stirring at the door as a worried looking Gordon entered to check on his mother. ‘Father, is mother…’, ‘She’s fine Gordon just needs plenty of rest’ he assured in an overly optimistic tone despite the observation that Rose looked deathly pale and so weak in that large bed. ‘What time is it?’ Mr Selfridge enquired, ‘After 7’. ‘You go on to work and I’ll catch up as soon as your mother wakes’. Gordon did as he was told, the last thing he needed was to be late and then have to explain why. He was sure his mother’s illness was something his father would like to keep from the store.

Half an hour later Rose stirred and Harry’s heart missed a beat as she opened her beautiful brown eyes to gaze over to where he was sitting. Harry all but jumped to her bedside and proceeded to smooth her matted hair from her face and softly asked ‘Rose, how are you feeling?’ ‘I’m okay, I’m sorry’. ‘Nonsense, there’s nothing to be sorry for although you gave me quite a shock.’ Little was said after this as Rose drifted back to sleep as Harry slipped out of the room, got changed out of the travelling clothes he had been wearing for over two days and carried on to the store.


	5. Recovered?

The following days were filled with Harry insisting Rose to be bed bound, at least while he was in the house. He was worried about her but his store was in trouble thanks to Frank and his illuminating (yet untrue) article bringing a scandal once again to the steps of Selfridges. 

Rose had started to feel better and despite her protestations to go out, felt all the better for the rest. She was quite off her food and lacking appetite which was not uncommon for her but further fuelled Harry’s worry. He had sent her a large (and expensive) bouquet of roses to the house and their arrival was soon followed by the unwelcome entrance of Lady May. Since the day the scandal hit the papers and Rose cut all ties to the Loxley’s she hadn’t heard a peep from the scandalous ex chorus girl. The uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach only increased by the unannounced visit and Rose could do little to be gracious to the anxious looking May. Before Rose could ask her in, her stomach lurched and she ran to the nearest basin where she violently threw up all that was in her stomach from the morning’s unsuccessful attempt to finish breakfast. After she felt sufficiently less nauseous she returned to the hallway and apologised to May. They were by no means friends at this point but Rose felt sorry May had to witness that, although it was unavoidable. May managed to utter some word to the effect of ‘I hope you feel better soon Rose, I’ll leave you’. Rose protested but was grateful at being left alone. Funnily enough the nausea had gone as soon as it had come.Rose brushed this off also but decided it best to return to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment or kudos if you think it is worth continuing :)


End file.
